Rain sat on the stone bench, rain droplets dancing around him in the moonlit abbey courtyard. The tall oak trees swayed vigorously in the wind, their branches creaking as they swung back and forth. Dark storm clouds rolled across the sky, occasionally parting to reveal glimpses of the stars twinkling far above.

Drops of water fell all around, the courtyard quickly filling with deep puddles. Rain watched as the raindrops crashed upon the surface of the water, each creating small circular ripples that expanded outwards until colliding with another. He listened to the sound of the rain falling all around him, a soothing rhythm that helped calm his restless mind.

Yet beneath the calm exterior, Rain felt a storm brewing within. His thoughts swirled heavier than the clouds, leaving him with an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. While his friends laughed and socialized in the shelter of the abbey’s walls, Rain remained alone on the bench, too nervous to go inside and join them.

Part of him longed for friendly company and conversation to lift his brooding spirits. But another voice in his head warned of potential ridicule, or of boring his friends with his worries until they grew tired of him. So there Rain stayed, watching the rain and wrestling with his inner conflict, both bored and afraid to find distraction or solace elsewhere in the courtyard that dark stormy night.